He Shall Prolong His Days

by
Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)

In this one verse, found in the wonderful 53rd chapter of Isaiah, there is an amazing prophecy of the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins, His resurrection from the dead, and the resulting salvation of many lost sinners.

This Old Testament chapter, written 600 years before Christ, contains probably the most complete and cogent exposition of the saving work of Christ on the cross to be found in the entire Bible.

How could it “please” the Lord to bruise His only begotten Son? It could only be because of the great work this would accomplish.

Then, indeed, “the pleasure of the Lord” would be realized. As to the Son, “he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11).

After the Father has allowed the enemies of His Son to “bruise him” to death, it would be soon known that this was actually “an offering for sin” and that, having satisfied the requirements of God’s holiness, the Son “shall prolong his days.” Though He died and actually “made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death” (v. 9), death could not hold Him and “he shall prolong his days.” As He would later proclaim: “I am alive for evermore” (Revelation 1:18).

And because He has done this, He “shall see his seed.” “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10). What a wonderful Savior! HMM